Chester L. Cousins

Chester “Chet” Cousins, 75, of Grandview, MO, passed away September 2, 2013, at Kansas City Hospice House. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held Saturday, September 21, at 11:00 a.m., at Hickman Mills Community Christian Church, 5809 E. Red Bridge Road, Kansas City, MO 64134.

Chet was born August 15, 1938, in Trenton, MO, to Wesley and Vivian Cousins, minutes prior to his twin brother Charles “Chuck.” Chet graduated from Ottumwa (IA) High School in 1956 and then served with his brother in the Navy as a submariner. Two years after a blind date, Chet married Frances Kampman on April 6, 1962, in Smithville, MO. An avid outdoorsman, Chet hunted the wetlands of the Osage River Bottoms to the south and the Grand River Bottoms to north, diligently trained his Labrador retrievers, and supported the conservation efforts of Ducks Unlimited. He was an active member of the Hickman Mills Community Christian Church, where he was known for saying the closing prayer to his weekly Bible study group. Chet retired from Knight-Ridder Commodity News Services in 1996 with fond memories of sales trips and conventions and annual company picnics. Chet's love of baseball and his twin brother spanned the years from American Legion ball to rivalries between the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Indians, rivalries that extended to the golf course when the Cousins clan got together.

His family and friends will forever remember ski trips to Colorado, weekends at the Lake of the Ozarks, following the USRA Modifieds at Lakeside Speedway, having a Pepsi at the Daily Limit, and innumerable family celebrations.

Chet was preceded in death by his parents, three half-brothers, and his twin brother Chuck; and is survived by his wife, Frances; his son, Phil, and his two sons, Jordan and Logan; and his daughter, Paula, and her husband, Jamie Walker.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions be made to Ducks Unlimited (www.ducks.org), Hickman Mills Community Christian Church, or Kansas City Hospice House (kansascityhospice.org).